Never Let Me Go
by wu-nderful
Summary: "I may not be centuries old but there is one crucial lesson I've learned from history: Love is the most powerful force in the universe. It transcends lifetimes, enduring even the most grueling hardships, because if you love someone enough, it doesn't matter where they are or who they've become - nothing will keep you apart. I love you Damon, and I refuse to give up on you, on us."
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Diaries or the cast, obviously, but all the other charcters are mine (:

**Never Let Me Go**

(Damon Salvatore/Aubrey Dalton)

Prologue

_"And it's breaking over me,  
A thousand miles onto the sea bed,  
Found the place to rest my head._

_Never let me go, never let me go._  
_Never let me go, never let me go."_

_(Never Let Me Go, Florence + The Machine)_

"_Damon?" she called into the dark, empty room, rubbing her head where a nasty headache had begun to rear its ugly head. She got up and walked, well limped, to the living room where she found him sitting on the couch. When he noticed her presence he immediately appeared before her._

"_Hey," he whispered, moving strands of hair out of her face, finally resting his hand on her cheek, "how are you feeling?"_

"_I've been better," she said trying her best to sound casual and ignore the shooting pains in her lower abdomen and legs. She noticed he appeared more morose than usual. "Are you okay?"_

"_Yeah… just fine," he said distractedly, glancing off to the side. She knew that look and it did not bode well._

"_Damon." she said sternly._

"_I've been thinking…" he began._

"_Oh no Damon not that again. We've been through this before," she reached my hand out to place on top of his. He quickly withdrew his hand from her cheek and helped her to the couch. "Damon I'm not a cripple. I still possess basic motor functions," she whined as he picked her up bridal style and set her down on the couch. He chuckled humorlessly. They sat on the couch in silence for a while before he spoke up again._

" _I've been thinking… that it's time for me to leave," he said as he traced the fading bite mark on the side of her neck. She looked up at him, meeting his gaze. An awkward silence fell again before she abruptly spoke up._

"_No." she said adamantly._

"_Excuse me?" he asked a little taken back by her sudden outburst._

"_You're not leaving. I know what you're thinking, it's written all over your face. You're not going to leave me because you think you're a monster, you're not. And you are definitely not leaving me for because of Katherine," she said as sternly as she could muster._

"_It's for the best…" he began._

"_Oh don't give me that crap Damon, you know that wasn't your fault…" she started but he cut me off._

"_It was Audrey. It was my fault she came after you, and it was my fault that I wasn't there to protect you. I was reckless. You're safer without me around," he said softly. She scoffed._

"_Damon… don't. This is exactly what she wants. She's just toying with you…" she said pleadingly._

"_I love her," was all he said. She bit her lip._

"_You haven't seen her in over a hundred years Damon. She never bothered to contact you. She doesn't love you Damon. She's just using you to get to Stefan," she said._

"_You're lying," he seethed._

"_No Damon I'm not."_

"_You don't know her."_

"_She's a borderline psychopathic bitch who manipulates your feelings for her to torture you and get to Stefan. She's not worth it Damon!" she all but shouted at him. This was just getting ridiculous._

"_I… I can't let go…"_

"_Damon, I need you. And I know you need me too," her voice was breaking and she bit her tongue to bite back the tears threatening to spill. He turned around and sat back down on the couch, for a moment she thought she had gotten through to him. It was only when she saw the look in his eye that she realized what he was doing, my eyes widened. "Damon. NO! Damon, you can't. Please."_

"_I'm sorry Audrey. This is for the best," he said. _

"_Damon. You can't do this. I… I love you," she said pleadingly, the tears beginning to run down her cheeks._

"_I…," he opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it. He was silent for a while before he spoke again. "I'm sorry," was all he managed to say. I tried to look away, but his gaze was too strong. She found herself unable to look away from his piercing blue eyes. The tears were now pouring out in streams along her cheeks, she could taste the saltiness on her lips._

"_When you wake up you're going to forget that Damon Salvatore ever existed; you'll forget the existence of supernatural creatures. You'll go back to your normal life before. You'll meet a nice guy and maybe settle down. He'll love you and care for you, and you'll forget you ever met me. If people ask you how you got hurt tell them you hurt yourself when you fell down the stairs" She could feel the memories slipping away. She tried her hardest to grab onto them, to keep them from slipping away but she couldn't. Slowly she felt the world around her fade, falling into a peaceful slumber. When it was over he carried her back to the bed and laid her down on it. He ran his fingers through her beautiful brown locks one last time, taking one last moment to watch her peaceful form before placing a kiss on her forehead. She awoke the next morning with a painful headache, bruised ribs, no memory of a Damon Salvatore, and an ache in her heart that she couldn't quite explain._


	2. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

******Disclaimer**: I don't own Vampire Diaries or the cast, obviously, but all the other charcters are mine (:

_**Never Let Me Go**_

_(Damon Salvatore/Aubrey Dalton)_

_Chapter 1: New Beginnings_

**Five years later…**

_She awoke to his familiar scent and his hand resting gently on her waist. He looked so peaceful. 'Damon peaceful… yeah right'. She laughed at the thought. She reached up to run her fingers in his dark locks and then placed a series of kisses up his jaw, earning a slight moan from the man beneath her. "Good morning Damon," she chuckled as he flipped them over so he was hovering over her. _

"_Good morning beautiful," he mumbled, obviously not yet fully awake. He bent down to ravage her neck, but she rolled out from underneath him and got out of bed, taking the sheet with her. "Hey come back!" he called as she wrapped the sheet around her body and walked towards the armoire in the corner of the room._

"_I have class in 20 minutes," she said, rifling through her closet for something to wear._

"_Learning's overrated," he whined, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, "come back to bed with me." He purred in her ear. She turned around to face him, gently shoving him away._

"_I've already missed three classes this week Damon and an exam. If I miss anymore I will loss my scholarship. Not all of us can live the glamorous, hedonistic lifestyle that is Damon Salvatore's," she said with her hands on her hips. _

"_I can take care of that," he said smirking, coming in again for a kiss. She ducked under his arm, pulling her blouse on, and grabbing her jeans off the floor._

"_If by 'take care' you mean compel them then no thank you. You know how much I hate it when you do that. If, however, you have a secret trust fund of say about 100 grand that I do not know about then feel free to pay my ridiculous college bills," she said, adjusting the belt around her hip and pointing an accusatory finger at him before dipping into the bathroom to brush her teeth. _

"_Well I have got to go. Try not to break anything please. Play nice with the neighbors Damon," she said, coming out of the bathroom, slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder and grabbing a muffin from the kitchen. _

"_Yes mother," he said rolling his eyes. She laughed. She walked up to him and placed a kiss on his lips, breaking away when he snaked an arm around her waist to deepen the kiss. She involuntarily wrapped an arm around Damon's neck, pulling him in closer, if that was even possible. They broke apart, "so what were you saying about class?"_

"_Mm, I guess skipping one more class won't hurt…" she said, finally giving into him as he placed light kisses down her neck._

"_I thought you'd see it my way," he said smirking. He pressed his lips against hers again, backing her into the bedroom. _

Audrey woke up with a jolt. "That dream again," she mumbled rubbing her head, "I must be going crazy". She got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. She brushed her teeth, and pulled on a white v-neck and a pair of black skinny jeans. She checked her phone on the way to the kitchen, _5 missed calls_ _from Mom_. Sighing she dialed the number for her mom. It rang twice before her mom picked up.

"Audrey Marie Dalton, why have you been ignoring my calls?" her mother demanded in a harsh tone.

"Um sorry mother I was sleeping…" she said, walking into the kitchen and opening the pantry to find it empty. She closed it and walked toward the fridge.

"Do you know what time it is young lady?" her mother asked. Audrey pulled her phone away from her ear to glance at the time, _12:54 PM_.

"Uh… almost one?" she said.

"Exactly! You have slept through half the day! Now how do you expect to be successful if you sleep in everyday until past noon?" her mother reprimanded her. Audrey rolled her eyes, "do not roll your eyes at me young lady! Do not think that just because I cannot see you I do not know what going on in your head!"

"Ugh mother. I had a long journey yesterday and an equally long night of unpacking, so I decided to sleep an extra few hours. So what?" she was beginning to be annoyed with her mother's scolding.

"Do not use that attitude with me young lady…" her mother began before Audrey cut her off.

"Oh what was that mom? … I cannot hear you… The reception in small towns is just really bad mother… I am going through a tunnel… I will call you back later…" she made a muffling noise with her hand.

"Do not hang up on me young lady…" Audrey pressed the end button. She loved her mom, but her mother's traditional ways and incessant nagging got on her nerves sometimes. Sighing, she closed the door to the fridge, which was not surprisingly empty. Her stomach growled.

"Well, I guess Mystic Grill for lunch it is!" she grabbed her dark gray knit cardigan off the coat rack, slung her bag on her shoulder, and slipped on her black TOMS. She decided to forego her car today and get to know the town by walking. She had walked a whole 10 minutes before she realized that having only arrived in Mystic Falls yesterday night, she had absolutely no idea where Mystic Grill was, not only that, but she had the strangest feeling that she was being watched._ 'You are losing it Audrey'_ she thought. She was too engrossed in her thoughts to realize that she was about set foot into oncoming traffic. A pair of rough hands pulled her out of the path of the oncoming truck, which let out a mighty honk as it whizzed past the pair.

"Are you okay?" said a concerned voice. She realized that it belonged to the person who had just saved her life, or at least from potentially life-threatening physical and mental injury she would have incurred had the car hit her. She blinked two times before she realized what had happened.

"Yeah sorry. I can be a bit spacey sometimes," she replied, stepping out his embrace. She extended her hand. "Thank you…" she was fishing for his name.

He shook her outstretched hand, "Alaric Saltzman."

"Pleasure to meet you Alaric Saltzman. My name is Audrey Dalton," she smiled at him.

"Nice to meet you Aubrey. Are you sure you are okay though? You seemed really out of it back there" he asked, casually sticking his hands in his jeans.

"Yeah," she laughed, "I am fine. I swear." She was about to say goodbye when her stomach growled rather loudly. Embarrassed, she blushed a deep red. "... well it was nice meeting you Alaric. But I will see you around. I need to feed my stomach."

"Bye." He watched as she walked away, this time making sure to look both ways before she strode purposefully across the crosswalk. She had already walked halfway across the street when it sudden occurred to him to ask, "Hey! Are you going to Mystic Grill?" She turned around with a questioning look.

"Yes, why?" she asked.

"Because if so you are going the wrong way," he tried to bite back his laugh, "come on I am headed there too, I will show you the way."

"Right. I knew that… thanks," she mumbled before quickly making her way over to him before another car comes by. She soon fell into step with him, falling into a comfortable silence.

"So, are you new to town?" He said in an attempt to strike up a conversation.

"Yeah, that obvious?" she laughed.

'_She has a nice laugh'_ he noted _'Oh snap out of it Ric. You just met her'._ His subconscious chided him. "Yeah you seemed pretty lost and confused back there," he pointed his thumb the direction they came for emphasis.

"Sorry. I am not usually this spacey. It is a recent thing. My mom says I fried all my brain cells because I studied too hard in school, and as a result I am slowly losing the ability to function like a normal human being. I was kind of a 'you can sleep when you're dead', workaholic in college."

"Really? Must have been rough."

"You have no idea. I had a huge Latin exam coming up one time, and I spent so much time preparing for it that I started to sleep talk in Latin. My roommate thought I was crazy."

"That is… kind of hilarious," he said chuckling lightly.

"Yeah, I have plenty of rather amusing college stories that plainly show there is such a thing as over studying for an exam," she said as they made a left on Birch Street.

"I would love to hear them," he said.

"Um well. Let's see…" she said, "I took a Shakespearean literature class my sophomore year. We had to do modern renditions of the play _Hamlet_ as part of our final. I fell asleep one night listening to an audio tape recording of Hamlet. I woke up the next day to an extremely irate roommate. Apparently I had been loudly reciting Hamlet's "To be or not to be…" speech, demanding that the guards apprehend Claudius because he killed my father, and apparently declaring my undying love for Ophelia."

"Wow… I don't know what to say to that," he said.

"Yeah I probably shouldn't tell people that story…" I chucked nervously.

"Nah it is fine, I had my fair share of uh… interesting events during college," he said.

"I am sure."

"Well here we are," he spoke. We had come to a halt in front green building with tan awnings. "It is not much, but they have killer wings."

"It has character," she commented as they made their way inside. An idea popped into her head, "Hey, let me buy you lunch." Alaric looked a little taken back by the sudden comment and turned around to face Audrey. "Oh no I don't mean it like a date… I mean to say thank you… you know for saving my life and all…"

"That is not necessary Audrey. Really, it is no big deal," Alaric said.

"Remind me of that if I ever safe your life," she smiled. "Well you obviously do not know me very well Mr. Saltzman because I do not take no for an answer, besides I have been told I can be rather persuasive when necessary."

"Well how about we compromise? You can buy me a drink," he said turning towards her.

"Mm, isn't it a little early to be drinking?" she teased with a smile.

"You obviously do not know me very well either Ms. Dalton," he said making his way towards the bar.

"Touché," Audrey said, trailing behind him.

As they approached the bar, a tall blonde boy with bright blue eyes greeted them, "Hey Alaric. What can I get you?"

"Hey Matt," he replied, sliding into his seat, "Scotch on the rocks please."

"Hello," Audrey said politely, slipping into the seat next to Alaric, "I will have the same please."

Alaric turned to look at her, "I thought it was too early in the day for drinking."

She rolled her eyes at him, "Shut up."

"Thank you," he said as Matt passed him his and Audrey's drinks, "so where did you go to college?"

"Cambridge. Though, funnily enough, I did almost get kicked out sophomore year. Apparently you actually have to go to class and show up for tests. Who knew?" she laughed, sipping her drink.

"Wait, is this the same person who just told me that they studied so much for a Latin exam that they started sleep talking in Latin?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah…" she began, "sophomore year was kind of a blur actually. I do not really recall much to be honest."

"Too much partying?"

"Yeah maybe…" she trailed off, "anyways, I am starved!" Alaric and Audrey ordered and soon their food arrived for them. A huge plate of salad appeared in front of her. Alaric raised an eyebrow at her. "I am a vegetarian," she said before digging into her beautiful leafy salad. Soon, they had finished eating and were on their way out. "Well thank you for saving my life, directing me in the right direction, and for lunch. I will see you around?"

"Actually this might be too forward, but do you want to come over?" Alaric asked, scratching the back of his head. _'God Alaric she probably thinks you're creepy now.'_ He thought.

"Yeah, sure… It is not like I have anything to do anyways," she offered him a bright smile, "lead the way."

"Where's Alaric?" a guy with dark brown hair asked as he entered the room.

"He left the house before noon, said he had to go to his apartment to grab something. I do not know why it has taken him so long to get back though," a tall, slender girl with dark brown hair answered.

"Did you tell him that Bonnie called a meeting?" a blonde girl asked.

"Yeah, I even texted him twice and called but no answer," the dark brown haired girl answered.

"That's strange…" the dark-haired guy commented.

"I will call Jer, see if he's stopped by the Grill today," the tall dark brown haired girl said, taking out her phone and dialing the number. It rang three times before he answered, "Hey Jer, has Alaric stopped by the Grill today? He left the house earlier but he hasn't come back yet and he isn't answering his phone."

"I wouldn't expect him to. He was here earlier with some girl. I think they were on a date?"

"Really? Oh well that's interesting I guess. Well thanks Jer," she said, giving her goodbye and hanging up. The group looked at her expectantly, "it appears Alaric is on a date."

"Date?" the dark haired guy inquired, "well I'd love to see who it is. I will go fetch our friend Alaric." He was smirking.

"Damon, play nice," the blonde-haired guy said.

"Always do Stefan, always do," Damon said as he walked out the door.

Audrey took a seat on the couch, careful to avoid the mess that seemed to be swallowing his apartment. "Yeah sorry for the mess, didn't have time to clean," he said sheepishly. He made his way over to the cabinet, pulling out two wine glasses. "Wine?"

"Already?" she laughed.

"Yeah I might have a problem…"

"The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. But sure I'd love some," she smiled, scooting over to make room for him on the couch. He set the glasses on the table and poured the wine inside them.

"So…" he began, propping his feet up against the coffee table and nestling back against the couch, "what did you study in college?"

"Well… I double majored in History of Art and English with a minor in Classical Latin," Audrey said sipping her wine.

"Impressive," Alaric noted.

"Yeah. I am a sucker for the Humanities," she chuckled.

"What brings you to Mystic Falls?"

"Well after my fiancé died, I kind of needed to get out of London. I didn't want to go home because I didn't need my mom coddling me like I am three years old again. I got tired of everyone constantly asking me if I was okay. I just kind of needed to get away from everything. I kind of stumbled upon Mystic Falls and felt compelled to move here. I've always loved small towns, plus I was born in Virginia so it seemed like the right choice," she unconsciously traced circles around the rim of her wine glass.

"I am sorry for your loss," he didn't know what else to say.

"It is fine, really it is. Turns out he wasn't exactly who I thought he was. I found out, after he died, that he was cheating on me with my best friend. He was planning on leaving me… but he didn't get a chance too… obviously…" she mumbled the last word and took a pause before continuing, "I guess after his death I realized I never really loved him. My family and my friends all loved him so much, and I guess I only decided to marry him because of all the pressure they were putting on me. I didn't want to let them down."

"That's… unfortunate. Can I ask how he died?"

"He was camping in the Appalachians with his friend. I was told it was an animal attack. They never found his body though, so they could not make a definitive call. They just assumed the animal… ate him…" she said, almost unable to utter the last few words.

"I am sorry," Alaric said, placing his hand on her thigh in an attempt to comfort her, "what was his name?"

"Andrew Lutz," she said. She paused a moment before saying, "Thank you Alaric."

"For what?"

"For listening and not freaking out. Usually when you first meet someone, you do not tell them about your dead ex-fiancé. It is not exactly a conversation starter," she chuckled a little, trying to lighten the mood.

"Trust me… I've had a lot worse in my time," he said. _'My ex-wife and my ex-girlfriend are both dead vampires. It doesn't get any worse than that,' _he thought, shaking his head.

"Um, may I use the restroom?" Audrey asked, snapping Alaric out of his daze.

"Yeah, it is down the hall, second door on the left," he said.

"Thank you," she got up from the couch, setting her glass on the table, and walked towards the bathroom. Alaric groaned, putting his head in his hands, '_You are screwed buddy.'_ No longer than a minute had passed since Audrey got up to go to the restroom when there was a knock at the door. He decided to ignore it, hoping they would get the message and leave. No such luck however, the knocking continued.

"Alaric I know you're in there, open up or I will knock the door down."

Alaric walked up the door and whispered, "Damon I am kind of busy right now."

"Well witchey says she has found a way to kill Klaus and your presence is needed."

"Just fill me in later."

"No can do, orders. Now open the door, _please_," Damon said in a sickly sweet voice. Realizing that arguing was no use, he opened the door. "Thank you Alaric, now, let's see who this mysterious girl is…" Damon began but he stopped cold when he saw the girl who was coming out of the hall. _'Shit_' he thought, _'you have got to be kidding me.'_ He inwardly groaned.

"Hello," she said politely.

"Uh Damon this is Audrey Dalton, Audrey this is Damon Salvatore," Alaric introduced. She stood up and walked up to him, extending her hand.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Damon Salvatore," she smiled.

"Yeah… nice to meet you too. If you'll excuse me for a minute," he said excusing himself from the room before bolting out the apartment.

But not before hearing Audrey say, "Well your friend is certainly a little weird. Anti-social?"

He whipped out his cell phone and dialed the number for his brother, "Stefan. We have a little problem…" He could hear his brother groan on the other end.

"How little?"

"Do you remember Audrey?" Damon asked.

"Yeah. Dalton right? That girl you dated 5 years ago?"

"That's the one. Well she's here… in Mystic Falls…"

"I thought you said you compelled her to forget she ever met you… She's not a vampire now is she?" his brother asked with hints of concern in his voice.

"I do not think so. Knowing her she would've attacked me if she remembered."

"We'll deal with it if it comes to that, but right now it is probably best if you avoid her as much as possible."

"Okay. I will be back soon… with Alaric," he added as he said bye to his brother and hung up. He walked back into the apartment. "Alaric, sorry to break up this little… whatever but we need to leave. Now would be good," he said, regaining his composure.

"Err yeah okay. Sorry Audrey, I have to go. But make yourself at home, I will be back later," Alaric said, grabbing a black bag off the counter and followed Damon out the door.

"No worries, have fun!" she called out after them in a cheery tone. _'He looks really familiar...' _Audrey thought as she picked up the wine glasses and placed them in the sink._ 'Oh Audrey you must really be going crazy.' _Shaking her head, she looked around the now empty apartment. _'Well since I have nothing better to do...'_ She pulled her iPod out of her bag, plugged in her ear phones and began the arduous task of cleaning Alaric's apartment.


	3. Chapter 3: Flashback: When We First Met

_**Never Let Me Go**_

_(Damon Salvatore/Aubrey Dalton)_

_Chapter 2: Flashback: The Day We Met_

_**Thursday, November 7th, 2003**_

_Audrey sighed, leaning against the counter sipping her chai tea. "Breaks over Dalton," her coworker, Mia, announced as she walked behind the counter, "but do not look so disappointed. There's a hot bloke at your table." She winked at me before punching in an order on the register._

_Audrey rolled her eyes at her coworker, "If he's so beautiful, you can have him."_

"_You know, I know you had a bad boyfriend experience in high school, but you really shouldn't swear off men forever, especially the dark, mysterious, and incredibly hot ones." Mia gave Audrey a look, "You have to at least admit that he is beautiful." Audrey looked over her shoulder to observe the guy in question. He seemed reasonably tall, dark hair, slightly shaggy, reaching down to his ears, and was sporting a black t-shirt, black leather jacket, black jeans, and black boots. _

"_Fine, he's… decently attractive," she admitted._

"_Decently attractive? More like outrageously hot," Mia quipped, "I would totally tap that if I were you."_

_Audrey rolled her eyes, "I will be sure to tell Mason you said that the next time I see him." _

"_Do not you dare!" Mia yelled after her, laughing. Audrey grabbed her notepad off the counter and headed towards the mysterious, dark-haired man. _

"_Hello and welcome to Café Nord. What can I get for you today?" Audrey asked in the sweetest voice she could muster._

"_Why hello there…" he took a peak at her name tag, "Audrey. Well you're rather beautiful. How about we take this out back? I am sure your blood tastes delicious." The man gave a devilish smirk, his impenetrable gaze boring into her soft brown eyes. She blinked a few times before breaking into a fit of laughter._

"_If that's your way of hitting on someone, you really need to work on your pick up lines," she laughed. She had been hit on by an assortment of strange and creepy guys but this one took the cake. The stranger laughed, somewhat nervously. 'That's strange… Why didn't that work?' He thought, but then he noticed the necklace around her neck. It reeked of vervain. 'Damn.' He then decided a different approach, plastering on his most seductive smile._

"_Haha you got me," he said, putting his hands up in mock defeat, "I was just trying out something new." _

"_Right, well it needs a lot of work," she said, calming down, "so what can I get for you?"_

'_Your blood would be wonderful' he thought. It had been weeks since his last fresh feed. Blood bags could only placate the thirst for so long, and he was in desperate need for some fresh blood. He watched her as she spoke, giving her a once over before lingering on her neck. Oh how he wanted to rip out her jugular right then and there. 'The vervain might be a problem though…'_

"_Um sir?" Audrey said waving her hand in front of him, effectively snapping him out his daze. He looked up at her, "what can I get you?"_

"_Uh a coffee and a Croque-monsieur," he said hurriedly trying to regain his composure. Audrey quickly jotted his order down on her notepad._

"_That'll be right up sir," she said, taking his menu and walking back to the counter to give it to the kitchen. He let out a huge sigh after she walked away. He watched her walk away, admiring the subtle sway of her hips. He wasn't going to lie to himself. She was damn attractive with her beautiful dark chestnut brown hair that fell in waves down her back, soft brown eyes, her inviting smile, the sensuous curves of her body, and her legs that seemed to go on for miles. He groaned inwardly wondering what it would feel like to have those legs wrapped around his torso. 'What is your problem Damon? Pull yourself together dammit.' He said, mentally scolding himself. He attributed his lustful mindset to the fact that it had been a while since his last feed, thus making him weak and vulnerable to beautiful women. Damon had heard the conversation earlier between Audrey and Mia. He smirked when Mia labeled him as 'dark, mysterious, and outrageously hot'. He stopped caring about what humans thought about him a long time ago, but he'd be lying if he said the strangers' words didn't feed his already huge ego. _

_Audrey made her way back to the counter and put in his order, rolling her eyes at Mia when she gave her an expectant smile. "So? How'd it go with Mr. Mysterious?" Mia asked with a huge smile._

"_He hit on me, and it was disgusting. I can practically feel the "stalker" vibe radiating off of him," Audrey said, crinkling her nose._

"_Yeah because you are so good at reading people right?" Mia teased._

"_I happen to be extremely observant," Audrey said defiantly with her hands on her hips._

"_Yeah right whatever," Mia said waving her off. Audrey maneuvered around her to the coffee pot. She poured some in a white mug and set it on a small tray along with milk, sugar, and some biscuits. _

_She picked up the tray and brought it over to the stranger and set it in front of him. "Your coffee sir," she said. She was about to leave when he began to talk._

"_So you really find it disgusting that I hit on you?" he said. She could hear the amusement in his voice; the question caught her totally off guard. 'How the hell did he hear that?' she thought, looking from him back to the counter in the back of the café. _

"_How did you hear that?" she asked in awe, her eyes widening, and her glance switching between him and the counter in the back. _

"_I happen to have amazing hearing," he smirked, "also I saw that look you made when you got back there. I figured it was because of what I said. And you just confirmed it."_

"_I have no idea what you're talking about," Audrey said, trying to play innocent._

"_I think you know exactly what I am talking about," he said in a more serious tone._

"_Nope! Now if you excuse me I have a job to do," she smiled widely at him and all but ran back to the counter. "Mia! He heard the comment I made earlier about how I thought it was gross that he was hitting on me," Audrey whispered, "What do I do?"_

"_Why are we whispering?" Mia inquired, leaning onto the counter onto her elbows._

"_Because he can hear us!" Audrey said as if it was obvious. Mia just blinked at her._

"_How can he hear us? What, unless he has super powers or something," Mia said, waving her hand._

"_Well whatever, he found out, and I do not know what to do! Help!" Audrey asked pleadingly._

"_Hmm, do you finally admit he's attractive and you want to jump him?" Mia said, her eyes twinkling._

_Audrey scoffed, "Of course not! But I guess that comment was a little harsh, and insulting the customer is probably bad for business."_

"_Ah well just turn on some of that Audrey Dalton charm and he'll fall all over you," Mia winked at her._

"_Oh shut it Mia," Audrey rolled her eyes at her coworker but couldn't help the small smile tugging on her lips. His sandwich eventually came out, and she put it on a tray to bring to his table. She took a deep breath before walking over to him. "Uh… I want to apologize for my comment earlier… It was out of line…" Audrey stuttered at a loss of what to say._

"_No, it is my fault. I shouldn't have come on to you," he said calmly. She gaped at him. 'Is he actually apologizing?' she thought, 'maybe he isn't so bad after all.'_

"_It is fine as long as you never try that again." _

"_Noted," he said, smiling at her with that insufferable smile that was driving her insane. 'Gah Audrey hold it together! He's just a guy, just another no good, perverted jerk… But gah his smile is kind of beautiful.' Her subconscious was driving her crazy. _

_He didn't know what was wrong with him. He had come into the café with the intent of finding a leggy blonde he could feed on. He hadn't intended on finding himself wanting to know more about this girl. She was beautiful and he found himself hopelessly entranced by her smile, her defiant attitude, and the fact that she seemed unaffected by his charm. She was unlike any girl he had ever met and he unwittingly found himself wanting to get to know more about her._

"_How about you let me ask you a few questions and we call it even?" he folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. She looked around, realizing that the café was pretty empty by this hour. 'What the heck,' she thought, 'it is not like I have anything better to do.' She took a seat across from him, mimicking his pose._

"_Fire away," she said._

"_Okay, first question. What's your name?"_

"_Well you already know my first name, Audrey. Audrey Dalton." She smiled at him, "Now do I get to know your name?"_

"_Damon Salvatore," he said with his signature smirk in place, "Next question, judging by your accent you do not live around here. Where are you from?"_

"_I could ask you the same question," she replied coyly._

"_Ah ah ah," he said wagging his finger, "I am asking the questions."_

_She rolled her eyes at his comment, "My family is originally from Britain, but when an epidemic blew out they emigrated to the "New World". We've been there ever since." Her finger traced circles on the table. _

"_Where do you live in the states?" He took a bite of the sandwich._

"_Boston, Massachusetts," she said, "I loved living there, but it got repetitive after a while. I needed a change of scenery."_

"_What brought you to England?"_

"_Cambridge has been my dream school for as long as I can remember. Everything about England draws me in: the weather, the culture, the history, the people, their accents, and well Cambridge."_

"_Interesting. Why not France? Do not all girls love Paris or something?"_

_She laughed pointing at him, "That is a stereotype if I've ever heard one. Personally, Paris is a little bit too cliché for me. 'City of Love'? Really? Also, I find French people to be extraordinarily snobby."_

"_You have to be the first girl I've met that hasn't gotten all gooey-eyed at the mention of Paris."_

"_Well Mr. Salvatore," she started, leaning forward onto her elbows, "you'll find that I am not like most girls." She was surprised at herself. One minute she found the man before her repulsive and arrogant and the next she found herself easily answering all of his questions. He had some weird effect on her. Usually when guys hit on her, she never gave them even a chance to say anything further than their unbecoming pick-up line. She would retort with some well-thought out insult that would effectively shut them up and send them in the other direction, away from her. However, she found herself inexplicitly drawn to the man sitting in front of her, asking her personal questions she normally would never answer. His smile was causing a stir in her lower regions that she hadn't felt in a while and she tried her best to suppress it._

_He chuckled lightly, propping his feet up on the chair next to him, "Do you have any family?"_

"_Yes, my mother and father, as well as two little brothers and an older sister."_

"_What's with the necklace?" At his question, Audrey unconsciously touched it._

"_It is a family heirloom. My mother made me promise to always wear it. She was rather adamant about it so I decided it was best to simply comply instead of asking further questions or trying to defy her wishes."_

"_What's your favorite book?" She was kind of surprised by his question. Most guys these days didn't care about what a girl's favorite book was, they were more concerned by "other things" on their mind._

"_Hmm that's a hard one. If I had to pick one it would probably be The Great Gatsby."_

"_Fitzgerald? Nice choice," he said, smirking, taking a sip of his coffee. He watched her eyes light up at the prospect of finding some she could discuss literature with._

"_Are you a Fitzgerald fan? I love all of his work; he's a master of literature!" Audrey was delighted that she would be able to discuss one of her favorite things in the world._

"_I am more of a Jack London fan actually. Call of the Wild."_

"_I see, Fitzgerald is infinitely better though," she said slyly, "you are missing out." Their conversation continued for a long time, him asking her all sorts of questions, personal and general, ranging from her home life to her favorite color to her favorite food. "Okay my turn!"_

"_Who said you could ask questions?" he smirked, putting a piece of Nutella crepe in his mouth that Audrey had fetched for him after he finished his sandwich._

"_Well I hardly find it fair that you get to have all the fun," she replied deftly, "come on! It'll be fun!"_

"_Not a chance," he replied._

"_Fine how about I ask you three questions? Just three," she asked. He contemplated it for a second._

"_Only three," he said. Audrey smiled widely._

"_Okay, first question, why do you wear all black?"_

"_It makes people think I am dangerous and mysterious." Audrey snorted as his response._

"_I guess that's fair. Okay next question, what brings you to England?"_

"_I needed a change of scenery," he smirked at her._

"_Hey! You cannot use the same explanation!" she narrowed her eyes at him, "do you have any siblings?"_

"_I have a brother. We're… estranged I guess you could say," he said, setting his fork down and folding his hands._

"_Oh I am sorry," she replied apologetically. She was about to ask why when Damon stopped her._

"_You have used all up all your questions." Audrey huffed._

"_I still do not think it is fair that you asked me over 20 questions and I only got to ask you three," she pouted._

"_Well you'll find that I do not play fair."_

"_Obviously," Audrey rolled her eyes. She looked at the analog clock that hung in the back of the café; seeing that it was almost 11 she stood up, straightening her apron. "Well we're closing soon. I will get your check." She took his empty plate and empty mug and headed towards the kitchen. When she placed the empty plate and cutlery into the sink she turned around to lean on it and groaned. The last hour of talking to a complete stranger had been a welcome break from her monotonous job and school routine. She had found herself willingly opening up to a total stranger. Audrey smacked herself in the head, 'what's wrong with me?' Taking a deep breath, she walked back to the main room, ringing up his order on the register before printing out a check for him. She walked over and placed it on the table that he was presently absent from. Audrey simply figured he had left to go to the bathroom. _

_As soon as Audrey left, Damon all but ran to the bathroom. Making sure he was alone, he leaned against the door and groaned. He had not intended on conversing with Audrey, he hadn't even intended on exchanging simple pleasantries with her. His intent upon entering the small café was simply to find an attractive girl to quench his blood thirst. But he was curious about her, the way she responded to his 'pick-up line'. He was surprised to find that though she was wearing vervain she found the idea of the existence of supernatural creatures such as vampires to be ludicrous. He was surprised by how intelligent she was, how curious she was about the world, her love of literature, her love of traveling, her outward optimism and love of life, her love of family, how he found her smile to be contagious and her laugh melodious. He kicked the stall in frustration, causing a big dent in the side. He was Damon Salvatore, big badass vampire. He didn't casually chat with café waitresses, much less develop an interest in them. He was a bloody vampire for freaking sakes he didn't fall for humans. This was ridiculous. After around 10 minutes of internally arguing with himself over the situation he chalked his sudden interest in Audrey as simply that he was running on low amounts of blood and that blood deprivation was just driving him crazy. He sighed, deciding it was best to leave as soon as possible. He paid the check, slapped down a hefty tip, and headed for the door. _

_Audrey came out of the kitchen, expecting to see Damon, but she frowned when she realized that he had paid the bill and left already. She walked over to the table and was shocked to find that he had left her with a $20 tip. She was glad to be done for the night for she still had to finish her end-of-the-term paper, but part of her was sad that he had left and that she probably wouldn't see him ever again. Sighing in defeat, she walked to the counter to close out the register. _

"_I saw you talking to lover boy earlier, so?" Mia looked at Audrey expectantly, wiggling her eyebrows. Audrey rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that day. _

"_We were just talking."_

"_You were practically shagging him with your eyes."_

"_Was not."_

"_Was too. Admit it Audrey, you're totally bonkers for him," Mia smiled widely._

"_You should stick to American lingo, British slang doesn't suit you," Audrey said irritably._

"_You are avoiding the question."_

"_It wasn't a question!"_

"_Whatever, you totally like him. You are only lying to yourself."_

"_It doesn't matter, he's gone! I will probably never see him again. Anyways, I have a huge term paper due tomorrow that I haven't started. Can we just get out of here?" Audrey said exasperatedly._

"_Do not worry about it. I will close up, you can go finish your beloved term paper," Mia saw Audrey look and knew she was going to protest so she added, "No, go! I am not taking no for an answer. You look you're going to explode. You can make it up to me another time."_

"_Thank you so much Mia!" Audrey was relieved. She went to the back to get her stuff, gave Mia a hug and one more thank you before jolting out the door to head back to her apartment. She shivered in the cold air, wrapping her leather jacket around her tighter. She passed a local bar and was just about to round the corner when two guys came up to her. They reeked of alcohol, she could smell them from over 100 feet away. _

"'_allo darlin'. What's a pretty thing like you doin' all alone at night?" a tall, homely guy asked as he approached her. He smiled widely at her, showcasing his yellow teeth and bad breath. She tried to ignore him and walk around him but he grabbed her by the arm. "I have an idea. Why do not you come home with me tonight darlin'. I will show you a real good time." Audrey tried to shake free of his grip by kicking him really hard in the groin. He doubled back and tumbled backwards onto the ground groaning in pain, "why you little bitch!" She tried to make a run for it before being roughly shoved against the wall of the bar by the other guy, a short, portly guy. The taller guy got up again and walked towards her, using his free arm to pin her against the wall so she couldn't move. "I wouldn't try that again missy, next time I won't be so forgiving." He slid a slimy finger down her face and titled her chin up. "Now why do not you give good 'ol me a nice kiss." He leaned in to kiss her. Audrey closed her eyes to brace herself for what was about to occur. Instead of feeling his disgusting lips on hers, she heard a mixture of yelling followed by some grunting and groaning. She opened her eyes to find the small, portly guy from before laying on the ground unconscious and the tall, slimy guy doubled on the ground moaning in pain. He had several gashes on his face, a black eye forming on his left eye from what she could tell from her position, and a broken nose that was gushing out blood. Audrey blinked a few times before looking to the right and seeing her savior: it was Damon from the café. She had wanted to say thank you but upon seeing him frustration suddenly welled up inside her for unknown reasons and she suddenly didn't want to thank him anymore. He grabbed the guy off the ground, muttered something, and the tall guy and the short guy ran off in the other direction. Damon walked over to her._

"_Are you okay?" he asked in a concerned voice that shocked even him._

"_I had it perfectly under control," she said in a huff, putting her hands on her hips._

"_Are you always this stubborn when people save your lives?" he asked her pointedly._

"_I am not stubborn," she said, furrowing her brow._

"_A simple thank you would've sufficed," his arms were crossed._

"_I didn't need your help," she said and turned on her heel to finish the last few meters to her apartment._

"_You are impossible," he said beginning to follow her. He had followed her two blocks before she turned around._

"_Do you make it a habit to stalk girls walking home in the night?" she accused._

"_I am just looking out for you since you seem to be a target for drunk men," he shrugged._

"_I do not need your protection," she raised her eyebrow at him. When he didn't reply she took it as a sign and continued walking towards her apartment. They had made it to her apartment door by the time he said anything._

"_Hey," he grabbed her arm preventing her from going inside. She whipped around to look at him, instantly regretting it. His piercing blue eyes were boring into her soft brown ones. She gulped. "Is it really that hard to just say 'thank you'?"_

"_Yes." She looked up at him and sighed. "Fine. Thank you. I am eternally grateful and indebted to you. However will I make it up to you," she said in a totally sarcastic voice. He laughed at her. _

"_Well… You could have dinner with me, you know to thank me for keeping your virtue in tact," he smirked at her. Audrey started laughing._

"_You are joking right?" she realized after she said that he was probably serious judging by the severe look he was giving her. "No!" He kept staring at her intensely. She felt like she was being scrutinized under a microscope. Realizing that he probably wasn't going to take 'no' as an answer, she finally gave in. "Fine! I will go on a stupid date with you."_

"_Good. I will pick you up tomorrow at 7!" He gave her a genuine smile, surprising himself. Audrey rolled her eyes before unlocking her door and going inside. "What not going to invite me inside?"_

"_Nope!" she replied, popping the 'p'. He turned to leave but was interrupted when she began talking again. "Damon," she said in a soft voice, completely different from her previous tone. He turned around to face her. "Thank you," she said in a timid but genuine voice. She reached up and gave him a quick peck on his cheek. She instantly turned red upon realizing what she did and gave him a hurried bye and closed the door, leaving a very dazed and confused Damon on the other side. 'Gah, what did I do that for? Stupid stupid.' She thought, smacking herself in the forehead. She slid down on the floor before realizing she still had a major essay due tomorrow and got up to go work on it._

_Little did she know that Damon was just as shocked about her little peck as she was. He was stunned. To say she affected him would have been an understatement. But he is a badass vampire, a predator of the night, a monster, and he would be damned if he was going to be changed by a stranger he had known for less than a day. His humanity? Yeah, he lost that a long time ago, and it wasn't coming back, anytime soon anyways. Besides he was hopelessly in love with Katherine. He had spent over 100 years searching for a way to break her out of that damn tomb. He didn't need anyone, only Katherine (or so he thought). But what was it about this seemingly puny and insignificant human that intrigued him? She was unlike any person he had met in his 163 years alive. She was defiant, passionate, and the most obstinate person he'd ever met. If he didn't know any better he'd say she kind of reminded him of himself._


End file.
